


Hope For the Future

by Johnstonmara353



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:48:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24483808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Johnstonmara353/pseuds/Johnstonmara353
Summary: Andrea watches over Judith at the prison. She can finally see hope for the future.
Relationships: Andrea/Daryl Dixon
Kudos: 2





	Hope For the Future

Hope for the Future

Andrea/Daryl

Summary: Andrea watches over Judith at the prison. She can finally see hope for the future. 

Andrea loved her time with baby Judith. Loved making the baby laugh at her silly faces. Loved shushing her when she cried, which was rarely. Taking every opportunity to give Beth and Carol a break. They had spent the first few months being Judith’s primary caregivers while Andrea had been in Woodbury. Once she was back with her family, and the governor was dead, Andrea began volunteering for babysitting duty. She was eager to spent the time with the one member of the group that hadn’t hated at some point. She was never judged while having her time with Judith. Beth and Carol usually grateful for the rest, but they still looked at her differently. Still judged her for the mistakes she had made with the Governor. Still hating her on some level for trusting a lying psychopath. She could see it in their faces. 

She loved the warm calm feeling that filled her chest as Judith drifted to sleep after her afternoon feeding. She loved the gentle sounds she made while she slept. She especially loved the fact that after a month of being at the prison, Judith smiled at her when she walked in the room. Sometimes she giggled when Andrea would finally take her. She recognized her. She reached for her; only when Beth was busy. Only when the much younger woman needed a break from the baby. If she tried to take Judith from Beth she would start to cry. Eventually, she would come to her on her own. Now, there was almost no separating the two. 

As she rocked Judith in the old rocking chair Michonne had found on one of her secret runs, Andrea finally realized what she was fighting for. Feeling the baby’s warm breath against her chest. Her steady heartbeat under her hand. When she had returned from Woodbury, Andrea had believed she was fighting for those people. Fighting for the people she cared about. Fighting for all the innocent people in Woodbury. Fighting for her friends in the prison. Fighting for the life she held in her arms. But that wasn’t what they were fighting for. They were fighting for a future. Not just their future, but the future of generations that were sure to follow. 

A knock on the cell bars brought her from her thoughts. Andrea glanced up, finding the groups redneck leaning against the bars. A smile plastered across his face. His hands shoved deep in his pockets as if he were nervous. “I thought you’d be in here,” Daryl whispered. Knowing the baby was sound asleep on Andrea’s chest. “Been looking for you for the last hour,” he muttered. He sat on the cot in front of the chair, noticing the wet spot on Andrea’s t-shirt and the slight smile on the baby’s face. She must have just been fed. Daryl couldn’t help but smirk at the sight. The once tough as nails, hardheaded, sharpshooter of the group was now at the mercy of her own maternal instinct. Choosing to stay inside the prison walls with the rest of the women. Choosing to take watch only in the tower and never outside the walls. That wasn’t the Andrea he remembered. “You have her spoiled as shit,” he laughed, looking at the exhausted blonde. 

Andrea smiled, running her hand down Judith’s back. Feeling her squirm a little before calming in the crook of her neck. Hiding her face against the blondes shoulder before slipping back into sleep. She never made a sound. “She does a lot more for me than I do for her,” Andrea whispered, glancing at him for only a moment. 

Daryl smirked. Tossing her the small blanket that was on the bed. He watched her drape it over her lap. Her shirt was already cover in spit up, snot, and drool. There was no saving it until laundry day. “Wasn’t talking to you,” he said, glancing at the baby. Judith had Andrea at her beckon call. If the kid made a peep with her in the room, she would immediately pick her up. If she cried for attention, she knew Andrea would pick her up. The tiny baby was training the woman. 

Andrea glanced down at her feet. Almost ashamed that she was now spending more and more time inside the prison walls than out. Turning down going on runs and choosing to keep watch in the tower. Refusing to take down walkers at the fence line. Never being close enough to the walkers for them to grab at her. The truth was, she was terrified after what the Governor had done to her. Her nightmares were filled with Milton’s face as he turned. She awoke in a cold sweat every night never telling anyone why. And she hated herself for it. That’s not who she used to be. She used to run head first into trouble. Killing any walker in her path with only a knife. Never asking for help. Never needing anyone. After Woodbury, Andrea had become more docile and reserved. Choosing to talk less and listen more. She couldn’t remember if she had learned that from Rick or the Governor. “I prefer the quiet. Would rather not hear gun fire for a while,” she whispered. 

He knew that wasn’t true, at least he used to think so, but he also didn’t know what happened in Woodbury. Andrea used to thrive on the fight. Never one to shy away when physical help was needed. Never one to go down without a fight. Now, all he could do was hold her at night as she cried in her sleep. Wipe her tears away when she woke up in terror. She chose not to talk about it and he never pushed her. She asked what had happened to her. He had seen enough the day they brought the other survivors in. He had found her in that room, bringing her home to the prison. Begging for Hershel to help her. Instructing Carol and Michonne not to leave her. Fighting Rick to let her stay. That was a fight Rick was never going to win. But he never asked about what happened to her. He had seen the cuts and bruises on her body. Had seen the stitches on her abdomen from the Governors attack. But that was nothing compared to the emotional scars she still carried. He pretended not to notice. Not notice that every time someone grabbed her from behind she pulled away. Not notice that every time she heard gunfire she would flinch. 

Daryl laughed, noticing a softness to Andrea that he hadn’t seen before. She wasn’t the same woman he had met in the Quarry. The fire had gone out in her eyes. There was no fight left in them. She was calm. Pulling a more support role, than the leadership one she once craved. “You’re different then before,” he whispered. Watching her eyes close as she took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. 

Andrea sighed, rocking Judith as she twisted to bury her face in the blondes neck. Her and Judith had an odd connection. Both coming into the prison tragically. Both causing loss. When she was upset, Judith was upset, and vise versa. But she knew she had changed. Was quieter than she once was. Stayed to herself more often than not. The only time she saw a glimpse of her old self was at night, when here and Daryl were alone. She was herself with him. Hiding nothing from him. Nothing but what happened when the Governor while she was in that room. “The person I was before...the person I was when I was with the Governor...I can’t be that person anymore. It was a constant internal battle of loving the control and needing so badly to do the right thing.” she paused for a moment, kissing Judith on the cheek. “I wasn’t like that before the world ended,” she whispered. Remembering a time when she actually laughed without hidden fear. “I mean, I was a lawyer so I always demanded control, but nothing like that.”

Daryl dropped to his knees in front of the chair. Placing a hand on her thigh to stop the rocking. She never talked about herself from before the world ended. She did at one time. When they were on the farm, she would tell him things when they went off tracking in the woods. But since she had been back from Woodbury, she didn’t tell those stories anymore. He wanted to know. Wanted to know anything and everything she wanted to tell him. He wanted to beg her to tell it all. Instead, he ran his fingers on the seam of her jeans, trying to catch her eyes. “What were you like?”

Andrea smiled through the un-shed tears. Glancing at Judith and watching her grin in her sleep. Her hand tangling in the blondes hair, looking for a solid comfort to hold. She ran her free hand over Daryl’s. He was always her solid comfort. Knowing how badly it hurt her to talk about how past. “I was kinder...I was...” she paused for a moment, trying to arrange her thoughts. Searching for a happy memory that best described how she was before everything went to hell. “I was like this,” she whispered. Brushing Judith’s dark hair from her face. “I worked in the daycare at my church every Sunday. I loved the babies. Taught a few children’s church classes when their teacher was sick. That’s what I miss the most.” She looked down at him, gripping his hand as she brought Judith closer to her chest. “Those little moments are the ones you miss,” she whispered. 

Daryl took a minute to actually look at. To focus on the picture in front of him. Andrea rocking this tiny innocent baby. The peaceful look on both their faces. Yes, she was very different than when he had met her, but different didn’t always mean bad. Eventually, he would bring the old Andrea back. Coax the old Andrea out of her, but for now, he loved the gentleness he saw in her. He kissed her hand quickly before she could pull away. “I like this Andrea,” he whispered against her knee. 

She wiped the tears away carefully. Smiling as she brought her hand back to cover his. They were happy tears, she was almost certain of that. “Really.”

He nodded, biting his lower lip for emphasis. “Yep. It’s hot,” he whispered, nipping at her knuckles. 

Andrea actually laughed out loud. Her chest shaking lightly. The baby startling a little, but quickly falling back asleep. I she was well aware of what she looked like. She hadn’t showered in a few days. Her hair was thrown up into a messy bun and she had been vomited on at least once that she could remember. She knew she had dark circles around her eyes. Knew she still had the scar on her forehead that the Governor gave her. “I’m covered in spit up and drool,” she pouted, pulling her hand away from his to wipe more drool from her shoulder as Judith slept. 

He rubbed his hand down her bare calf. Thanking God that she had decided to wear cut off jeans instead of pants. He loved feeling her skin. She rarely allowed it during the day. Not wanting anyone to see them. Not wanting anyone to start gossiping about her more. “It’s sexy.”

Andrea rolled her eyes. Settling the baby in the crook of her arm. Judith grumbled for a moment before burying her face in Andrea’s stomach. She hated the sunlight. Preferring more to keep them all up at night with her giggles. “You’re getting desperate if this is sexy,” she whispered. 

He shook his head laughing. Playing with her free hand that had settled on her thigh. “Nothing sexier than a woman holding a baby.” He had never thought in his life that those words would leave his mouth. He had never been a kid friendly person. Had never wanted them. Had never wanted to be near them, until Judith. 

Andrea watched Judith for a moment. She was so peaceful. She had no idea that anything was wrong in the world. All she knew was that people loved her. She was loved and protected. That was Andrea’s point of view at the moment. She racked her brain trying to see what Daryl saw. She had never been one of those women that thought she was beautiful. She knew she was attractive, but never thought of herself as beautiful. And despite what others believed, she didn’t show her body easily. “Why is this sexy to you?”

Daryl grinned, squeezing her hand. Watching Judith take comfort in her arms. The baby knowing she was safe. Nothing could happen to her. She felt calm and safe because she knew Andrea would keep her that way. It was a connection and power no man would ever understand. “Nothing says power like a woman with a baby. Especially knowing that woman would do anything to protect that baby. It brings out a different side of a woman, I think. It’s not just a maternal side. It’s like watching a mother lion protect her cubs. You wouldn’t think she could take down multiple attackers, and maybe she couldn’t if she wasn’t protecting her cubs.” He paused, watching her. There was something softer in her face, the tears were gone. She was smiling. It was small, but it was there. “Seeing that amount of power is fucking sexy.”

Andrea watched Daryl watching the baby. It was a look she had never seen on him. He wasn’t the warrior that was protecting them every day. He wasn’t the crazy redneck with a bow. In that moment, he was just a man. “You want one don’t you,” she whispered, smiling a little more. She had always thought he would make a good father, a good husband for someone. He was more attentive to her than most men had been. Wanted her happy. But he never told her what he wanted. What he needed from her. 

Daryl shrugged. Placing both hands on her thighs, looking directly at her face. It wasn’t something he was comfortable talking about. They hadn’t spoken of children before. The subject had never even been suggested jokingly. But in that moment, that was all he could think about. “I don’t know,” he said, touching Judith’s sock covered foot. She jerked out of reflex. Tucking her body closer to Andrea’s. “She is kinda cute.”

Andrea almost laughed, but stopped herself. She didn’t want Daryl to feel bad for his feelings. She wanted him to tell her everything that he wanted from her. But it was adorable the way he looked at Judith in that moment. Yes, Daryl spent time with Judith, but he really didn’t take care of her. He made faces at her and fed her from time to time. But he wasn’t up at night with her. That was Carol and Beth, and even Andrea on occasion when she couldn’t sleep. He handed her back once she began to cry. If she needed to be changed, he would give her to the closest female. “She is cute,” she whispered against Judith’s cheek. Enjoying the smell of her freshly washed hair. “No reason to have one though, especially now.”

Andrea wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw disappointment in his eyes. He linked his fingers with hers. Looking up at her. It almost broke her. “You never thought about it,” he asked, his eyes drifting back to Judith. She was so comfortable in Andrea’s arms. The same way she always was with Beth. It was a sight he hadn’t realized he wanted. He wanted it every day. 

Andrea glanced down at the baby. Her heart was breaking. It was possible she couldn’t give him what he wanted. She might never be able to give him what he was craving now. “Thought about it? Yes.” She glanced up, his eyes focused on her. “But thirty-seven is a little old to be having a baby.” It probably wouldn’t have even been possible for her to have children with all the physical abuse her body had taken over the last few years. 

Daryl stood, gesturing for her to hand over the sleeping infant. Reluctantly, she allowed Daryl to take Judith from her arms. Her face scrunched in aggravation as she was taken from the blonde. Andrea could almost feel that same ache and agitation. An emptiness fell over her. A chill that she wasn’t aware of before. She wanted to take Judith back, rock her until they both fell asleep. It was the only time her nightmares ceased. But she couldn’t. The sight in front of her was so much better than a good nights sleep. She watched Daryl gently rock her for a moment before placing her in the box he had made. Andrea could hear her wiggling around for a moment before settling. She was sound asleep in a moment and would be for another hour. 

Daryl turned back to the tired blonde that was still sitting in the rocking chair. Beth would be back soon to relieve her and then Carol a few hours after that. The women had a nice routine down for Judith’s day. He held out his hand and watched as she slowly took it. Not sure what he intended. He pulled her to stand before him. One hand resting on her cheek, brushing the tired tears away. “You’d make a good mama,” he whispered against her lips. 

Andrea rested her forehead against his. Breathing in his scent. Smelling the sweat that covered his body. She had never seen this side of him before. It was stirring something in the pit of her stomach. “Why haven’t you talked about this before,” she whispered, placing a hand on his chest. Feeling his heartbeat under her finger tips. 

He shrugged. Tracing her jaw with his fingers. Trailing his hand down her neck while pulling her closer to him. Not giving her a chance to look away. “Never saw you with a baby before,” he smiled, as he ran a hand through her tangled curls. He was smiling, but his voice was serious. His eyes were bright blue. 

“Dark haired, blue eyed baby?” she whispered, her lips brushing against his. It was something she had only dreamed about. And a dream she had cherished. She craved to have his child running around. Seeing her dark curls bounce as she runs through the halls of the prison. But it was only a dream. 

He pulled her closer, shaking his head. “Green eyes,” he whispered against her lips. He loved her eyes. It was the first thing he had noticed about her. He was able to read every emotion through the color of her eyes. In that moment, they were bright green. She was excited. 

Andrea didn’t have time to reply. He captured her lips with his. Tasting him. Not for the first time, but for some reason it felt as if it was. She felt shivers take over her entire body. That feeling in the pit of her stomach aching. Warming her from the inside out. 

Daryl heard the clang on the bars before he saw anyone in the doorway. Immediately, he shoved Andrea behind him. His hand going to the knife on his hip. But as she looked up, Michonne’s smiling face was staring back at him. She was leaning against the bars, playing with the curtain that Andrea had put up a few weeks ago. “You two are something else,” she laughed, watching Andrea stepping back to Daryl’s side. His arm draping over her shoulder, pulling her tight against his chest. Michonne just smiled that cocky ‘I told you so’ smile. Andrea had seen it a lot during their time together. “What was that you were saying the other day about not sleeping with Daryl?”

Andrea leaned back against him. His arms coming around her tighter. They hadn’t been keeping it a secret. They just refused to talk to anyone about their relationship. Sleeping in one cell should have told them all what they needed to know. But everyone wanted something to talk about. Wanted her to tell every detail and she wouldn’t. “I lied,” Andrea smiled. 

Michonne nodded at Daryl. Making a vague gesture with her hand in Andrea’s direction. “Your girl was a pain in my ass for eight months. All I heard was how Daryl was so great. How much she missed Daryl.” Michonne did her best to mimic Andrea’s voice, but failing miserably. She sounded more like a thirteen year old girl with a crush. 

Andrea shook her head. She loved Michonne for everything she did for her in those eight months. And she loved the new side of the dark skinned warrior. She was more playful. Taking things less seriously and relaxing more. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Andrea asked, noticing Rick waiting for her at the staircase. 

Michonne held her hands up, looking at Daryl. Even though she was happy her friend had been able to come back to the man she had obsessed over the entire time they were together, and she expected longer than that. It still didn’t stop her from being protective of the blonde. It was an old habit. “She loves you.” She gestured to the sword that was strapped to her back. Narrowing her eyes at him. “Don’t fuck it up,” she hissed. 

Daryl hugged her closer. His hand gripping her hip tightly. Michonne had been her protector for eight months. Watching her back. Taking care of her when she was so sick she couldn’t walk. He hadn’t seen any of it. He hadn’t been there. He had left her on that farm to die. He wouldn’t do it again. “Never crossed my mind.”

Michonne could see the sweet smile starting to appear on Andrea’s face. He couldn’t see it. The blonde was blushing. She turned to leave before stopping in the door way. Glancing at Andrea over over her shoulder. “By the way, Daryl’s right. Dark hair, green eyes would be a cute baby.”


End file.
